Literati JBP - first styling

[Hbhaska]

Did my first literati on a Japanese black pine. The main branch was split vertically all the way to the point where the raffia wrap ends. Diameter of the trunk is 2 inches and I used 6 mm wire. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[sorce]

Why was the trunk split?

Can we please see that red artwork? It looks so intriguing.

Nice bend.

Sorce

 

[Hbhaska]

Why was the trunk split?

Can we please see that red artwork? It looks so intriguing.

Nice bend.

Sorce

Here is the artwork and our cat, Sorce. The trunk was split because it makes it easier to bend. The raffia also helps to protect the trunk with severe bending like this one.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If the wire is 6mm, and the fattest part of the tree is as fat as 3x the wire, then it's diameter is roughly 18mm. That's 0.7 inches. The circumference 2*pi*0.35 would be 2 inches.
I've done more severe bends without raffia on similar sized trees. That's not a critique, just hoping to save you some effort in the future.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Let me know what you think. Thanks!

I think you need to use copper wire and add more movement. What you have so far isn’t going to be terribly interesting over time. This is not a good time of the year to perform big bends like this, so maybe you just watch it for a while, and in October add another course of copper wire and bend it some more.

Here is a Japanese Red Pine I’ve been working on for over 10 years, each fall, wiring and adding movement to the trunk, as well as branches that could be candidates for trunk sections. I’d say it has another 5-6 years before it will be ready to start some branch work. Exaggerated movement early adds more interest later. Tough to see all the twists and turns through the foliage, but you get the idea.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

These bends did not require raffia.
Meant as an illustration, not as a good example or a best practice.

 

[Hbhaska]

This is not a good time of the year to perform big bends like this, so maybe you just watch it for a while, and in October add another course of copper wire and bend it some more.

thanks. I will surely add more bends and movement later depending on how the tree responds. Peak growing season is the best time to do big bends on thick trunks like this so that they heal faster, am I wrong?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Peak growing season is the best time to do big bends on thick trunks like this so that they heal faster, am I wrong?

You are. Peak season is when the sap is flowing, making the branches more turgid, more likely to snap, and less likely to recover due to heat. Big bends are best done in the fall and spring.